2 arrested in connection with vehicle theft

Related Media

A Grass Valley Police officer arrested a couple on vehicle theft charges after noticing them inside a truck parked in front of a closed business early Monday morning.

The officer saw a man and woman were inside the truck, which was towing a flatbed trailer in the 600 block of Idaho-Maryland Road, at about 3:30 a.m., said Sgt. Joe Matteoni.

The early hour caught the officer’s attention, especially since the department was on the lookout for a stolen flatbed trailer, Matteoni said.

The man, who was identified as Joel Roe, 32, of Sacramento, allegedly initially gave a false identity to the officer. He was found to have a felony warrant out of Placer County and was taken into custody.

The license plates on both the truck and the trailer were missing, according to dispatch reports. The VIN numbers were checked, and both allegedly came back as stolen, Matteoni said.

The truck, which had been spray-painted white, was reported stolen from Sacramento, according to dispatch reports. The trailer allegedly had been stolen from a Main Street business just a few days ago.

Roe was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and providing a false ID, as well as the out-of-county warrant.

His passenger, Brianne Mateo, 27, of Rio Linda, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and possession of stolen property and was booked and released on $10,000 bail.